Here we go again, Arrow Video has unveiled their September release lineup and it's a doozy.
Fans in the US have a trio of new special editions to look forward to, while UK get one helluva box set. First of all, both North American and UK will get a brand new edition of Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 and video store stalwart, The Prey. US/CAN fans only will have a chance to own Aldo Lado's classic giallo, Who Saw Her Die? for the first time on Blu-ray. The big release this month is the UK-only Mario Bava box set that includes nine of the master's classics. I know I'll be importing that one, for sure!
For more details and images, check out the gallery below
THE HILLS HAVE EYES (US/CAN/UK)
The hills are once again alive with the sound of screaming in Wes Craven’s hugely entertaining follow-up to his own groundbreaking 1977 The Hills Have Eyes.
A motocross team on their way to trial a new super-fuel head out across the desert lead by Rachel, who, unbeknownst to the rest of the group, is a survivor of the cannibal clan which menaced the Carter family several years before. Opting to take an ill-advised shortcut across the desert, the busload of youngsters drive straight into the path of the remnants of Rachel’s demented cannibal kin - the menacing Pluto, and a hulking, blood-hungry brute by the name of The Reaper.
Made by Wes Craven immediately prior to his smash-hit A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes Part II diverges from the grim tone of its predecessor in favour of fun action-horror thrills and spills replete with mutants, motorbikes, and - oh yes - dog flashbacks!
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues
- Blood, Sand, and Fire: The Making of The Hills Have Eyes Part II - brand new making-of documentary featuring interviews with actor Michael Berryman, actress Janus Blythe, production designer Dominick Bruno, composer Harry Manfredini and unit production manager/first assistant director John Callas
- Still gallery
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- 6 Postcards
- Reversible fold-out Poster
- Limited Edition 40-page booklet featuring new writing on the film by Amanda Reyes and an archival set visit from Fangoria
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
THE PREY (US/CAN/UK)
It’s not human, and it’s got an axe! One of the most underrated efforts to hail from the slice-and-dice boom, The Prey at last emerges from the VHS wilderness in a brand new 2K restoration from the recently unearthed original camera negative.
Three young couples set off into the mountains for a weekend of climbing, drinking and lovemaking. But little do they know that they are stumbling into the terrain of a fearsome predator - a wild man, horrifically burned as a child many years ago in a fire which engulfed his gypsy camp and left only him alive. Now he roams the woods in search of his next human prey.
Filmed in 1979-1980 - making it a contemporary, rather than an imitator, of the likes of Friday the 13th - but not released until 1984 when it was picked up by New World Pictures, The Prey is a unique woodsy slasher gem ripe for reappraisal in this extras-packed, 40th anniversary edition!
LIMITED EDITION 2-DISC BLU-RAY CONTENTS
- Limited to 3,000 units
- Exclusive slipcover featuring original UK home video artwork
- Three versions of the feature: Original US Theatrical Cut, International Cut and Composite cut!
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourn
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by Ewan Cant
DISC ONE - US THEATRICAL CUT
- Brand new 2K restoration of the filmmaker-approved US Theatrical Cut from the original camera negative
- Brand new audio commentary with producer Summer Brown
- Brand new audio commentary with Amanda Reyes and Ewan Cant
- Audio Interview with director Edwin Scott Brown
- Brand new on-camera interview with actress Debbie Thureson
- Brand new on-camera interview with actress Lori Lethin
- Brand new on-camera interview with actor Carel Struycken
- Brand new on-camera interview with actor Jackson Bostwick
- In Search of The Prey - Ewan Cant and actress Debbie Thureson revisit the original shooting locations in Idyllwild, California
- Q&A from Texas Frightmare Weekend 2019 with Lori Lethin, Carel Struycken and Jackson Bostwick
- Texas Frightmare Weekend 2019 Audience Reaction Track
- VHS Trailer and TV Spot
- Original Script (BD-ROM Content)
DISC TWO - INTERNATIONAL & COMPOSITE CUTS
- Brand new 2K restoration of the International Cut featuring the infamous “gyspy flashback” footage, added at a later date by the producers without the approval of the original filmmakers
- Composite Cut combining footage from both the US Theatrical and International Cuts, for the ultimate Prey fan experience!
- Extended Outtakes reel - 45 mins of never-before-seen outtakes
WHO SAW HER DIE? (US/CAN)
Former Bond star George Lazenby (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, The Man from Hong Kong) headlines this classic giallo directed by Aldo Lado (Short Night of Glass Dolls, Night Train Murders) ¬–as compelling for its haunting atmosphere, twists and turns as for its parallels with another great Venetian horror/thriller – Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now.
Sculptor Franco Serpieri (Lazenby) welcomes Roberta (Nicoletta Elmi, Deep Red) – his young daughter from a failed marriage – to Venice, unaware that a disturbed child-killer is stalking the city’s canals. When Roberta’s body is found floating face-down in the river, the lives of Franco and his estranged wife Elizabeth (Anita Strindberg, The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail) are ripped asunder. Desperate for vengeance, Franco turns detective in a bid to track down his daughter’s killer, and in the process unearths shocking evidence of depravity and corruption which implicates some of the most respected figures in Venetian society.
Released at the height of the giallo boom, this gripping mystery thriller boasts some of the most iconic names associated with the genre on both sides of the camera. Co-starring Dominique Boschero (The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire) and Adolfo Celi (Thunderball), and featuring one of the all-time greatest scores from maestro Ennio Morricone (What Have You Done to Solange?), Who Saw Her Die? thrills anew in its high definition debut.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• Brand new 2K restoration of the full-length Italian version of the film from the original 35mm camera negative
• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
• Uncompressed mono 1.0 LPCM audio
• Original English and Italian soundtracks, titles and credits
• Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• New audio commentary by author and critic Travis Crawford
• I Saw Her Die, a new video interview with director Aldo Lado
• Nicoletta, Child of Darkness, a new video interview with actress Nicoletta Elmi
• Once Upon a Time in Venice, a new video interview with co-writer Francesco Barilli
• Giallo in Venice, a new video interview with author and critic Michael Mackenzie
• Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
• Poster and fotobusta gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love
MACABRE VISIONS: THE FILMS OF MARIO BAVA (UK)
The legendary Mario Bava has inspired generations of filmmakers, including names as wide-ranging as Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton and Guillermo Del Toro. With their virtuoso photography and budget-belying visual effects, his films transcend their unassuming origins and played a vital role in shaping the horror movie as we think of it today. This exclusive collection from Arrow Video gathers together nine films from Bava’s diverse catalogue – including gothic horrors, giallo thrillers and even a real-time crime drama.
Our journey through the maestro’s output begins with Black Sunday, the ground-breaking gothic shocker that defined the Italian horror film, before launching the “giallo” phenomenon with the twisty The Girl Who Knew Too Much. Up next is a triple bill of terror with the gruesome anthology Black Sabbath, followed by a further slice of the macabre with the spine-tingling Kill, Baby… Kill! Next, Bava channels his inner Agatha Christie with the Ten Little Indians-inspired Five Dolls for an August Moon, followed by the proto-Friday the 13th slasher A Bay of Blood (aka Twitch of the Death Nerve). Bava then returns to his horror stomping ground with the twisted and atmospheric Baron Blood and his surreal classic Lisa and the Devil – widely considered to be his masterpiece. The collection concludes with Rabid Dogs (aka Kidnapped), a gritty, frenetic crime thriller that grabs the viewer by the throat and refuses to let go.
This stunning collection represents one of Italian cinema’s unsung heroes at the height of his creativity, ably assisted by a diverse and talented cast of cult actors, including Barbara Steele (The Pit and the Pendulum), Telly Savalas (Kojak), John Saxon (Tenebrae), Edwige Fenech (Strip Nude For Your Killer), Erika Blanc (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) and Boris Karloff (The Comedy of Terrors). Whether you’re a newcomer to these films or experiencing them for the umpteenth time, Macabre Visions: The Films of Mario Bava is a must-have addition to your library.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all nine films
- Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
- English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
- Alternative cuts of Black Sunday, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Black Sabbath, A Bay of Blood, Baron Blood, Lisa and the Devil and Rabid Dogs
- Audio commentaries on every film by Bava biographer and expert Tim Lucas
- Numerous interviews with critics, cast and crew members
- Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre, a documentary profile of the director, hosted by Mark Kermode and featuring interviews with Joe Dante, John Carpenter and Tim Burton
- The Devil’s Daughter, a video essay by critic Kat Ellinger
- Multiple introductions by author and critic Alan Jones
- Yellow, Semih Tareen’s short film homage to Bava’s cinema
- Multiple theatrical trailers and TV spots
- Limited edition packaging featuring original theatrical artwork
- Collector’s souvenir hardcover book featuring writing by Matt Bailey, Alan Jones, Kier-La Janisse, David Cairns, Tim Lucas, Travis Crawford, Glenn Kenny, Adrian Smith, Jay Slater, Oliver James, Stephen Thrower, Peter Blumenstock, Michael J. Carroll and Helen Mullane
- And much, much more!